Nine states draw new congressional maps ahead of Tuesday's vote

Nine states are using redrawn congressional districts in Tuesday's elections, and an Associated Press analysis projects Republicans could pick up as many as nine additional House seats while Democrats could gain as many as six. About one in every 10 potential voters nationwide, roughly 10%, is now registered in a congressional district that differs from the one they voted in during 2024.

Texas accounts for more than 6.9 million of those voters, the largest single-state total in the analysis. California follows with more than 6.3 million and Florida with more than 4.5 million. In Utah, about 69% of potential voters received new district lines after a state court ruling.

Redistricting typically follows the census once a decade, but several states moved up their changes this year amid the fight for control of the House. The states using new maps on Nov. 3 are Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Most of the new lines favor Republicans, with California and Utah the exceptions where Democrats stand to gain.

The effort began in Texas in 2025, when President Donald Trump urged Republicans to redraw House districts to protect the party's grip on the chamber. In an August 2025 CNBC interview, Trump said, "We have a right to five more seats," citing his 2024 presidential results in Texas. California responded by approving maps that could deliver Democrats up to five additional seats. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a map that gives Republicans a shot at four more seats.

Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee also redrew lines after an April decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for districts with large minority populations. In that same period, Texas, California and Florida each moved forward with their own changes.

Gerrymandering is the practice of shaping district boundaries to advantage one party. A party that controls both the legislature and the governor's office, or holds a legislative majority large enough to override a veto, can draw lines to its favor. One common approach packs opposition voters into a few districts so the majority party wins the surrounding seats. Another spreads opposition voters across many districts to dilute their influence.